Well, I hope some of you enjoy this story. When read from 20-20 hindsight, it's hard to imagine I didn't predict what was going to happen. Total pwn3d n00b here.

So I have a batch of Ed's Haus Pale that I transferred to keg. I noticed he said he put 1oz of pellets in a steeping ball to "dry-hop" in the keg. I thought this sounded delicious, so I did the same. The only problem was that my steeping ball only held 1/2oz. I wasn't about to let the last 1/2oz of cascades go to waste, so I just tossed em in there, too, sealed the lid, and put it on pressure.

I went to try the first one today and I got no love from the faucet. I checked to make sure the gas was on, but still no love. I popped the liquid line off and depressed it with a screwdriver.

BEER IN THE FACE!!!! AGGH.

I put the liquid line back on and tried, again, no love. I popped the liquid line off, and learning from my mistakes relieved the pressure. I unscrewed the liquid out post, and a hop plug was sitting right there in the top of the dip tube, clogging the poppet. Stupid poppet...what is it in there for anyway? It's going to keep clogging this up, and I need to get these pellets out. I took out the poppet, and screwed the post back on. I put the liquid line back on and turned the gas back on. Still nothing. What the hell...must have been blocked again. I popped the liquid line off and sweet malty elixer erupted with geyser-like fury out the hole I left open on the out post, covering the cieling, and raining down beer onto absolutely everything in the kitchen. I have taken a shower with Ed's Haus Pale, and I must say, I smelled hoppy-fresh by the end of it.

So, now with my kitchen cleaned up, and my keg of Haus Pale ale half-empty, what should I have done? Is it a general no-no to not dry-hop with hop pellets in the keg unless they're in a bag or steeping ball?

So, now with my kitchen cleaned up, and my keg of Haus Pale ale half-empty, what should I have done? Is it a general no-no to not dry-hop with hop pellets in the keg unless they're in a bag or steeping ball?

I think that's about the size of it. Leaf hops are even worse for that.

__________________Broken Leg BreweryGiving beer a leg to stand on since 2006

Bag them or use a Surescreen. Poppets are very sensitive to small particles and once the rubber gasket is damaged, you have to replace them.

__________________
Remember one unassailable statistic, as explained by the late, great George Carlin: "Just think of how stupid the average person is, and then realize half of them are even stupider!"

Did you at least catch some in your mouth, while it was spraying all over? Was it good?

I've had at least 3 of these various "Oh sh!t" momenths where I just feel dumb, oh so freaking dumb. Way to handle it like a champ though, sorry for your lost beer. Just means you gotta brew again, right?!